How it started
Jasmine was working for a small web agency in Auckland when she became pregnant with Lucy. She had a hefty commute, travelling up to Auckland early on Monday mornings, returning to Tauranga on Wednesdays. When she was in Tauranga she would have a desk at Basestation, She did this up until she was 37 weeks into her pregnancy, at that point she decided that it would be a good time to work fully remote!
Jasmine took seven months off after having Lucy before returning to working full-time. She was able to continue working fully remote, spending two days at Basestation, and the rest of the time in the home office.
She recalls dropping Lucy off to Daycare and those first few times were emotionally tough.“You're trying to be brave, and not show (Lucy) that I’m upset.”
Although, she does admit, they were lucky with the Daycare centre Lucy went to, which had been recommended to them. It was small with only 10 children and 3–4 teachers, Lucy was the only baby for a long time.
Jasmine shares that Lucy was also doing long hours (8am–5pm) at Daycare as both Jasmine and her husband worked full-time. She says in those early days it was tough, as, after picking Lucy up from Daycare, they’d only have an hour and half with her before it was her bedtime. Jasmine admitted, it wasn’t what she envisioned when she was planning on having a family!
Fortunately, both the previous web agency, and MOCA (who Jasmine currently works for) have been really supportive and flexible. She tells me that it helps when the business owners have had kids and relatively young families, so could relate. At the time, she was the first person at the company to take maternity leave.
Going back to work where she knew the job inside out and had good relationships with her team and the customers, she felt she was far more productive and efficient. She said, having a baby gives you a new perspective on things, what was stressful before - wasn’t any more.
In 2023, Jasmine became pregnant with her second child, Oliver (aka Ollie).
By April 2024, with two children under the age of three, Jasmine started working for MOCA. Jasmine originally met Andrew, the Director of MOCA, through Basestation - as they both worked in the building.
Jasmine recalls her first day working for MOCA, she was keen to make a good first impression; upon arriving, she jumped into a meeting with Lisa, MOCA’s Office & Finance Manager to catch up on admin and talk through the role. Within an hour and a half, she received a call from Daycare saying that Ollie was sick, and asking if she could come and pick him up. She recalls that, at the time, it was stressful, she wasn’t sure if she’d made a bad first impression. Thankfully, Lisa and the team were totally understandable, and it was never an issue.
Jasmine says working for a small business that knows she’s committed and professional has meant when the unexpected does come up (like a call from Daycare to pick up a sick child), they know and trust she will still get the job done.
How it's going
Jasmine now works four days a week, the whole team works from home on Mondays, and on Fridays she is at home with the children.
Jasmine also has three sets of grandparents, who have all retired and live close by. She is very grateful for their support and help in raising her young family, especially when she gets a call from Daycare. Jasmine’s mum also has the children one day a week, meaning they are at Daycare only three days a week now.
Towards the end of our kōrero, we ended up talking about the “Motherhood Toll” - something that’s been topical in the media lately. This refers to the physical, emotional and mental demands that motherhood places on individuals, often leading to feelings of overwhelm, burnout and mental health struggles. Not to mention the financial burden and impact of things like Kiwisaver after taking parental leave.
Having companies being more flexible with parents and offering paid paternity and maternity leave is highly encouraging, Jasmine adds.
How's Basestation working out for you?
Being based three days a week at Basestation, Jasmine says that the commute is a welcome transition where she takes off her ‘mum’ hat and puts on her ‘professional’ hat. She appreciates that Basestation is located so centrally in Tauranga, this means she can also catch up with friends and family who also work in town during her lunch break.
Jasmine believes that being in a coworking space also makes it interesting as there are a range of people working in different industries and businesses in the building. She feels there’s an energy you get from being around people coming together and working on different things.
There are a handful of parents with young children in the building too, this can create a sense of solidarity as you know you are all going through it together.
A BIG thank you to Jasmine for sharing her story and experiences with us.
If you are also interested in finding out what it’s like to cowork at Basestation for yourself, why not visit us at 148 Durham Street, Tauranga - we are open Monday to Friday 8:30am-5pm.